Thread: Egyptian Revolution

Originally Posted by triggerhappy2005

Proof?

Is it possible that there is no proof?

By that I mean: the proposition can not be proved one way or the other.

Nothing that could be presented to the greater public could ever constitute proof. Those who doubt the circumstances of the President's birth have already set their standard of proof higher than anyone could reasonably expect to be met.

Likewise, it's quite possible that no proof of the President's supposed foreign birth exists either.

I think about the circumstances of my own birth. Do I have proof of where I was born?

No.

I have a piece of paper. It's very official-looking, and in some sense I'm lucky in that my piece of paper is much more official-looking than many of the legitimate birth certificates that have been issued, but it's still just a piece of paper and the tools necessary to forge such a document are about 200 years old. It's just a piece of paper.

I have the stories of my family. I judge them to be reliable stories, but I have no personal memory of my birth and I suppose it's possible that the people I call my family are not genetically related to me and have been telling me (and everyone else) a lie for my entire life.

According to the stories my "family" tell me, I was lucky enough to be born in a relatively modern hospital with real doctors and nurses and a staff dedicated to creating and sanctifying paperwork. Many people are not born in those circumstances.

A close friend of mine has a daughter and a son. The daughter's birth (so I'm told) was pretty normal by today's standards but when they had their second child they didn't do everything the normal way - in particular they couldn't decide on his name and it was six months before the finally figured it out. The proper paperwork was eventually processed but God help that kid if he one day decides to run for public office.

There is, for any person ever born, only evidence.

There Is No Proof. At least, no proof that can satisfy a standard that is raised every time it is met.

The maniacal pursuit of "proof" is a distraction that perfectly captures the attention of people who believe in a myth of proof that has never existed.

You look at the evidence. You make your choice.

My choice is that the birther issue was a mean and dirty campaign trick that has lived on as mean and dirty tactic to discredit and sap support from a President who some people don't like. It gives stupid racists and credible cranks a mechanism by which they can prop up their own twisted views of the world.

It's also an amazingly cost-effective political tactic. A very small investment yielded a story which is largely self-supporting. No money or effort needs to be expended to keep going. Just like haters are gonna hate, believers are gonna believe.

Cheers,


AetheLove

I dont want to watch that but i would still like to see the 40 page report on it.